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(what is) Film
(what is) Film (originally Blacklisters) is an American/British animated TV series created by Elliot Strange and Owen Emerson. It was produced by Gecko Studios, Working Title Television, Thames Television, Propaganda Television and ITC Entertainment. It aired on Channel 4 in 1997. HBO aired the show in the US. Premise The series centers around Wes Shapiro, a sheltered man who travels to Hollywood after his controlling parents pass away. Having never seen anything resembling a movie or a TV show (let alone a TV set), he decides to learn more about it, only to get accidentally embroiled in a movie deal with the blacklisted director Allan Smith who wants Wes to make movies. Wes agrees to do it to get a better understanding of film, and in doing so, he learns of the dark side of Hollywood. Along with Allan, Wes is aided by his childish old best friend Joel, his cautious therapist Monte, his short-fused intern Wyatt, his unwanted #1 fangirl Chelle and her father, the cynical Leland. Wes also has to deal with his evil twin brother Les who wants nothing more than to maintain his status as Hollywood's most beloved director. Each episode centers on Wes creating movies, taking inspiration for what happens to him on certain days. As the show went on, it became progressively darker. In the latter half of season 3, Wes and his friends board a spaceship, run by two disgraced executives who seek to destroy Hollywood forever. Characters Main * Wes T. Shapiro (J.T. Walsh): The main protagonist. He has spent a majority of his life at home, and hence feels out of sync with the rest of the world. His parents forbade him from watching television and forced him to study. Being completely naive to the world of cinema, he's often the subject of ridicule by movie buffs and due to a lack of contact with other individuals, he's somewhat shy and insecure. In spite of his shortcomings, Wes is able to make it in the world of film and has garnered some acclaim. In the future, Wes becomes the first director in a new era of Hollywood, after he destroyed California alongside the resistance. Wes' name is a mix of the names of Howard West and George Shapiro, executive producers for Seinfeld. * Allan Smith (John Vernon): A disgruntled movie producer who hires Wes out of desperation, not knowing of Wes' lack of knowledge on film. Allan was once well respected, but due to him getting tied to various flops, he was blackballed and is forced to work under an assumed name. While strict and at times unreasonable, Allan does have good intentions and he tries to help Wes however he could. In the future, Allan becomes the head of a major distributor, as well as the richest man in California. Allan's name is a pun on Alan Smithee, a pseudonym created by directors who wish to disown films they're tied to. His appearance mirrors that of Christopher Collins. Supporting * Joel Denton (Gerrit Graham, imitating Gene Wilder): Wes' estranged best friend. Joel used to sneak into Wes' house and the two frequently read comic books together. Joel is somewhat childish and he frequently watches cartoons when he's not hanging with Wes or the others. He often tries to help Wes with his movie, but his advice proves to be unethical most of the time. It's believed that Joel suffers from Werner Syndrome. * Monte Yuzna (Frederick Coffin): Wes' therapist who first appears near the end of season one and becomes a main character by season 2. Wes frequently visits Monte whenever he needs advice. He is very vulnerable, and his clients tend to take advantage of him, even Wes whenever he wants to avoid paying for his sessions. It was revealed in season 3 that Monte is a closeted homosexual and since then, he came out of his shell and married Wyatt due to him being the only accessible gay client signed to him. * Wyatt Powell (Gregory Hines (pilot only) Richard Biggs)): Wes' intern. He formerly served in the Gulf War before going through an honorable discharge (which he blamed on racial bias) and has been unable to get back into the working world because of it. Wyatt suffers from a mild form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and he also has major anger issues. He is considered to be the most violent part of Wes' personal circle of friends, but in spite of this, he has proven to be the most resourceful of them all whenever he's in the proper mood. Wyatt and Monte married one another later into the series (which was filed by Monte's homosexuality reminding him of one of the more positive experiences he had while in the army). He was originally portrayed by Gregory Hines in the pilot, only to depart for unknown reasons. * Chelle Polk (Maria Bamford): A 16 year old, socially inept girl who admires Wes. She admires Wes because his parents forced him to stay indoors and because of his unique perspective on film.Wes frequently turns her away, but it doesn't deter her devotion to him. It has been shown that her clinginess to Wes and the others may come from mental issues and trauma stemming from the deaths of her pets. It's revealed that she was forcibly adopted by Leland due to him using Chelle's real parents' car as a getaway vehicle when he was a robber. In the future, Chelle joins the army, but takes on a cash bond so she could travel back to the US. * Leland Polk (Clint Howard): Chelle's father who's a TV collector and electronics salesman. He is eventually hired as a technical advisor in Wes' project after proving himself to Allan and the others. Leland is a cynical, nihilistic sociopath who'd sooner mock a suffering individual and perhaps further their suffering. Leland was a former criminal before he met Chelle when she was a baby after finding her in his escape car. Since then he has raised her as his own and turned away from petty theft. He frequently puts his daughter through activities that she doesn't enjoy and he kept her out of the house in an attempt to get her to make friends. Despite his attitude, he does care about his daughter's well-being, but he hardly tries to get input from her in order to become a better father in her eyes. In the future, Leland becomes a feared crime boss who serves Allan. * Lenard Lochmond (Elliot Gould): An actor who is cast in Wes' film. He makes prominent appearances after season 2 since Wes had enough material to begin hiring actors. Lenard was once a successful indie actor, but the wrong management led to him getting blacklisted, and it traumatized him so badly that for two years, all he could say was a quote from his breakout film. He regained his confidence after punching Jon Schroder (his co-actor who ruined his career). Lenard turns up anytime Wes is making his film, but other times he acts as a background character. Other Prominent Characters * Josie Kern (Eliza Schneider): Chelle's best friend. Very little is known about her or why she became friends with Chelle. It has been claimed that Chelle was forced by her father to hang out with Josie. She usually appears in episodes centered on Chelle or where teens are usually involved. She's the polar opposite to Chelle in nearly every feasible way. Josie seems to act more like a personal assistant than a friend to Chelle, but the latter would shoot down those claims constantly. She seems to be quite strategic, as she often oversees deals Chelle arranges with people whom are older than her and is an effective aid in Chelle's schemes. * Prudence Tokan (Maggie Roswell): Allan's seldom seen secretary. Usually appears whenever she corrects Wes or anyone else in his circle on anything. She organizes events proposed by Allan and oversees important business meetings. She is best identified by her speech pattern where she says the name of the punctuation mark at the end of her sentences. This was brought about by a stroke she had a few years prior, which supposedly caused her to lose her job as a radio personality well before she met Allan. Wes and Prudence ultimately get together near the end of the series and she goes with him when he returns to Utah. * Les Shapiro (James Woods): Wes' brother and the main antagonist of the series. The polar opposite to Wes, he is brimming with confidence, has attended film school and has even met Steven Spielberg (eventually revealed to be a drifter who has the same name as the director). Having lived a successful and also sheltered life, Les is an egomaniacal individual who looks down upon anyone who isn't involved in Hollywood and he bullies his fellow workers, even his personal assistants on a frequent basis. His neurotic behavior likely stems from a traumatic experience he had after directing ten movies straight for what turned out to be a money-sink. He tends to lie to potential workers about most of his past to ensure they work with him. He does whatever he could to sabotage Wes' flourishing presence in Hollywood, but winds up giving him more popularity as a result. Les is usually killed or severely injured in most of his appearances, but somehow returns alive and well by the next episode. * John Schroder (Neil Flynn): A comedic actor who is considered to be the most hated actor in Hollywood and is the secondary antagonist of the series. This is due to his racial insensitivity, giant ego, making fun of dead celebrities and creating a series of ill-received movies. He first appears in (who is) The Actor, when Wes casts him in his movie with no prior knowledge of his infamy and had to go to great lengths to get him out of the project. He plays another major role in (what is) A Road Trip when he attempts to stop Wes and his friends from destroying the copies of a sequel to one of his movies. It has been implied that Schroder destroyed Allan Smith's career prior to the start of the series. He hasn't had any major roles since the two aforementioned episodes, though he did play a minor part in (what is) Baseball where it's hinted that Wyatt might've killed him after he made Chelle's team lose.